Don't claim to know anything about DB, but I'm still going to bring up the widow's mite. It's obviously nice when rich people donate loads to charity, but by itself it doesn't mean anything more than Jim from down the road giving his tenner.
.What I will say is that DB's autobiography is a brilliant read and full of humour. A very good player as well. Especially a 181 not out for yorkshire early on. Couldn't hold down/cement a place due to players coming back from international duty. Went to Leicestershire. And Barnsley fan through and through.
I think a lot of the resentment towards Dickie Bird and Parky comes from the Administration and the struggles we had. Leicester were in admin a couple of seasons before us, and Gary Lineker was very upfront about getting help for them. Parky and Dickie Bird didn’t seem to be bothered about Bfc and the problems. There was an interview with Dickie Bird on radio and he never mentioned the club. I believe Parky gave some money but nothing substantial. This was at a time when people were rattling buckets, doing sponsored walks etc to raise money, so the fact they weren’t visible was resented. It’s over 20 years ago, and my memory may be faulty, but this is how I remember it.
I don't hold any resentment for either and I don't have any idea how they contributed personally, but I do agree with you that they didn't seem to use their standing and association with the club/town to highlight the problems we were facing. They appeared some what anonymous during that period. Much more so than when we were promoted to the Premier league.